Destiny
by mutantpenguins
Summary: If someone unexpected and life-changing like Kairi never did arrive in the Destiny Islands, Sora and Riku would have never had to save the worlds and would have had a much simpler life. This is a few snapshots of that life. Sora/Riku, K plus for a kiss.


This is… so unbelievably behind schedule it's not even funny. Ember apologizes profusely and promises to go right back to work on 'For the Love of Music!'.

Despite how unbelievably long this took, Ember really enjoyed writing it and knows she will return to the Kingdom Hearts world(s) sometime soon. Better watch out, Riku; Ember's got big plans for you. And you probably won't like them too much at first. Don't worry, they'll grow on you. Just like living in Ember's closet grew on Rags to Riches. It really wasn't so bad in the end.

In any case, here you are. Bursting_Bubbles, if you don't like this, feel free to beat Ember upside the head with a medieval torture device of your choice.

Destiny

Prize fic for Bursting_Bubbles

Carefully sneaking across the beach, Sora put his best efforts into avoiding his friends as he crept toward his secret place. He quietly walked over the sand, up a few steps, and down a path, making sure he wasn't seen on this fine day and dragged away to mock swordfights.

Of all the hideaways on Destiny Island, there was only one Sora trusted that no one else used. The five-year-old crept behind foliage, making sure no leaves had stuck into his spiky nut-brown hair, and into a small cave to be by himself and to think.

It wasn't as if the boy had no friends. No, he was outgoing enough for three people his age. Sometimes, though, he just needed a break. Plus, it would an excellent place to do his homework when school started.

So lost in thought was he that he didn't hear a small rustling sound. When it finally registered, he figured it was an animal of some sort—they frequently foraged around the entrance to his hiding place. He wasn't alarmed until he heard the tentative footsteps coming down the path and an unexpected young voice saying, "Sorry! I thought no one ever came here!"

Whipping around, Sora was startled by the appearance of the other boy. He looked to be about Sora's age, or maybe a little older, with aqua eyes and stunningly silver hair. "I kind of thought that too…" Sora admitted. "You're… Riku, right?" He desperately hoped that was the right name. He didn't really know this kid too well and he didn't want to mess things up right off the bat.

The other boy smiled. "Yes, and you're Sora." He sounded absolutely positive of that, so Sora didn't bother to verify it with anything other than a smile, his own sea-blue eyes lighting up.

They sat there for quite some time, talking and scratching tic-tac-toe games into the cave walls. When they did leave, though, it was with promises to play more the next day.

~*~*~

At ages ten and eleven respectively, Sora and Riku still hadn't outgrown their little hiding spot. The cave walls were covered in tic-tac-toe games and hangman and random sketches they'd completed or left unfinished over the years, but it was very much theirs and they loved it anyway.

Sora arrived late that day, running down the hidden path to find Riku hard at work on a sketch of something, what looked to be a guitar sitting at his side. "Sorry! I got caught by Selphie and the others… I had to say I was running away from a land piranha to get them to clear out and get away from me."

Riku just looked at him, a single eyebrow raised and skepticism in his aqua eyes. "Did it work?"

Sora laughed. "Well, I'm here, aren't I?"

Riku chuckled as well, clearly amused at the others' gullibility. "So this cave is magical then, and you can't be caught by the evil nasty land piranhas in here?"

The brunet sat down, still laughing. "But of course. You're here, after all, and you're older. It's your job to protect me from the evil nasty land piranhas. What did you bring with you, by the way?"

Riku grinned. "What does it look like?"

Sora reddened. "Shut up. Do you play?"

"Not well. I only just started learning," Riku muttered.

"Well? Show me," Sora said, watching intently.

Riku slowly picked up the guitar and played a simple song. Sure, he messed up a few times, but Sora couldn't help thinking how absolutely amazing it was that Riku could do something like that. Every time Sora tried to even touch a musical instrument it practically snapped in half.

And they continued to sit there, talking and playing and generally having a lazy good time.

~*~*~

By the time Sora was thirteen and Riku was fourteen the walls of the cave they had named their Secret Place were covered in all of the little competitions they had had, with absolutely no room left for even one more drawing competition. As Sora wandered around the cave he glanced at each of their little sketches etched into the wall with rocks, smiling occasionally.

Of course, Riku was by far a more talented artist than Sora could ever hope to be. So naturally their last competition showed an excellent drawing of Sora and a mess of squiggles that could vaguely be identified as Riku. It wasn't Sora's fault that his abilities with a rock were the equivalent of a five-year-old with a crayon.

In the passageway Riku had begun to play his guitar. It was a beautiful song; of course it was, because Riku seemed to have endless talent in everything he did. Recognizing the tune as one of the Islands' more popular folk songs, Sora hummed along, finally singing without realizing what he was doing.

Finally Riku came around the final corner and entered the cave, still strumming the guitar and staring at Sora oddly. When the song finished, he continued to stare.

Sora was beginning to feel rather awkward. "What? Do I have the blood of my last victim on my shirt or something?" he asked jokingly, still nervous.

Riku didn't stop staring. "You sing?" he asked, and Sora suddenly realized that he had indeed been singing.

"Not well," Sora muttered, reddening and looking away.

Riku raised a single eyebrow, and Sora relaxed at the familiar gesture. "Are you kidding? It sounded pretty good to me."

"I'd say it was because you're tone-deaf, but I don't see how that can be the case with the way you play that guitar."

There was a sudden lull in the conversation. Sora looked up, noticing that Riku looked thoughtful. "What?" he demanded.

Riku slowly grinned. "I think we just found a summer job."

~*~*~

At age sixteen, Sora had to admit that Riku's idea three years before had been a really good one.

They were now some of the most popular acoustic performers on their island, playing in cafés when it was on their schedule and on a pier when they had a few minutes with nothing better to do. When they had first started money certainly hadn't been flowing, but within a year their parents were starting to appreciate the extra bit of money they were making.

After a particularly hot and exhausting, yet very lucrative day down at their favorite pier, Riku slowly and carefully put his guitar back in its case before flopping carelessly down onto the sand.

Sora chuckled. "Aww, is Riku tired?" he asked in a singsong voice.

Riku's only response was a tired yet still crude gesture made with a single hand that refused to lift itself more than a foot in the air.

Sora laughed as he flopped sideways, making Riku yelp as Sora's head hit his chest.

"Gee… thanks. I really needed… the wind knocked out of me," Riku wheezed sarcastically.

Sora grinned. "Well, that's me—always willing to help people get what they need." Sora felt more than heard Riku chuckle as his hands found their way into Sora's spiky hair.

Sora sighed happily as he relaxed into those hands playfully rubbing against his head, idly wondering when this had become so natural. Sure, they had always been close friends, but did close friends always enjoy such simplistic touching just for the sake of touch?

He wasn't sure, and he had no real basis of comparison. He just knew that Riku meant the world to him, and that even though he was so important Sora would kill him if he took his hands away.

~*~*~

When he turned eighteen Sora was done pretending. He realized that something was going on between Riku and himself, and he was determined to do something about it.

However, that determination always faded when he was actually face to face with Riku, the words he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue. Frustrated after an entire week of failed attempts, Sora wondered why he was suddenly such a coward.

His irritated thoughts were cut short as his door opened and the voice he had fallen in love with shouted, "You're late! And you're going to make me late!"

Sora's heart leapt into his throat, even as he shouted back, "We're just at the pier today! We can afford to be a little late!"

As Riku opened the door to Sora's room he replied, "I don't think so. Time is money. Who knows? Maybe all the people who'll actually give us money will have left by the time we get there if we're late. Why haven't you even gotten dressed? Unless you were thinking about setting a new trend and singing in your boxers," he smirked.

Sora reddened and dug in his closet for suitable clothes, knowing that the best response to that question wasn't 'because I was busy thinking about you and how wonderful you are and how I'm so pathetic I can't even bring myself to admit that I love you'. "Shut up," he replied.

Suddenly Sora found a hand on his shoulder turning him around to find Riku's beautiful aqua eyes level with his. "Is something wrong?" he asked with a concerned expression. "This isn't normal for you."

Overwhelmed by Riku's caring and proximity, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, hugging him and burying his face in Riku's warm chest.

As Riku's hands found their way to Sora's waist, he repeated his question. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," Sora mumbled into the t-shirt in front of him. "I'm just an idiot, that's all." He could feel himself relaxing into Riku's solid grip, a dangerous situation he could do nothing to avoid now. It was far too late; he was far too weak to put a little distance between them.

"What's going on now?" Riku asked, a touch of amusement adding a lighter tone to his earlier concern.

Sora barely heard the question. He was too busy thinking about how warm Riku was and how nice this felt and how good the other male smelled. "I love you," he muttered unthinkingly.

He realized just what he had said as Riku's arms impulsively tightened and the nineteen-year-old gasped in shock. Face bright red with humiliation, Sora clung to Riku so that at least for a few moments he could pretend that everything was great and Riku loved him back.

He didn't notice that one of Riku's hands had moved until it stopped under his chin, tilting his head up as aqua eyes looked into his own blue eyes. "I love you, too," Riku whispered, their faces so close that Sora could feel Riku's breathing.

Closing his eyes, Sora leaned forward and kissed Riku, who froze in shock for a split second before tenderly kissing him back until they finally broke apart, still holding each other.

Sora smiled. "Now we're really late," he said.

Riku hummed contentedly. "I don't think I really care," he replied before pressing his lips to Sora's again.

The last thing on Sora's mind was how great life was going to be with his Riku by his side, just like it always had been.


End file.
